Shelf-type lubricator



w. M. GRAY SHELF TYPE) LUBRICATOR Filed'Aug. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W/ace al ay Jan. 7,: 1936.

Jan. 7, 1936.

W. M. GRAY SHELF TYPE LUBRICATOR Filed Afig'. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WQ W' Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to a novel type of lubricator for the wheel flanges and rails of railway equipment.

An object of the invention is to provide a flange and rail lubricator which includes a novel character of lubricant supporting shelf alongside the rail, whereby the flanges of car wheels are lubricated effectively, noiselessly, and without the usual undesirable sidewise shifting of the car wheels which results in discomfort to passengers and excessive wearing of the lubricator parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel flange andrail lubricatorthat may be used with safety upon rails for the latest highspeed light-weight trains or cars which might easily be de-railed by most types of lubricators now known.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character stated, which is inexpensively and easily kept in working order, and which is unaffected by climatic changes and. conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lubricator for the purpose stated, with an improved form of automatic means forfeeding lubricant to a location at the gauge side of the rail head where the wheel flanges may readily pick up the lubricant and spread it along the rail head side. p I

The foregoing and other objects are attained bythe means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the device, parts being broken away and shown in cross section for purposes of clarity and convenience.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional-view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing only a double-acting ratchet drive for a lubricant pump.

Figs. 3, 4, and are cross-sectional views of three modified forms of lubricant supporting shelves of the general type shown at the right tached from the rail to show the vertical lubricant feed ducts or passages l2.

With reference to Fig. 1, l3 indicates a railway:

rail which includes the usual. web l4, base I5 and gauge side or face l6 along which the wheel flange travels. is a mechanism which operates automatically to pump lubricant onto a flexible and/or resilient shelf I! supported (at the right of rail I3) along the gauge side of the rail head. The shelf l1 preferably is of rubber or a composition including rubber, or of other material which will readily yield when the deep flanges of worn car wheels roll over it. As illustrated in-Figs. 3 and 4, the shelf 11 may be elevated to a position at which At the left end of the Fig. 1 view normal wheel flanges will contact therewith so as to pick up lubricant from the shelf and distribute the lubricant along the side of the rail head. In the Figs. 1 and 5 modifications, the

flanges of normal car wheels do not contact the 5 shelves, the lubricant being permitted to pile up on the shelves, alongside the rail head, to a height at which it will be taken up by the wheel flanges during movement of the cars. As is clearly shown in the several views, the yieldable shelf preferably, though not necessarily, is supported in such a manner that its inside face I8 is substantially in contact with the rail head, thereby providing a yielding seal or closure for the vertical ducts l2 to preclude entry of water, dirt, and other 15 foreign substances. The forceful ejection of lubricant by the pump through the vertical ducts will of course break the seal momentarily, and

in the structures of Figs. 3 and 4 the contact of the wheel flanges upon the shelf will assist in uncovering the ducts to permit delivery of lubricant to the shelf and to the gauge side of the rail head.

In Figs. land 3, the shelf slopes toward the rail head to provide a trough or gutter for supporting the lubricant in position to be taken up by the wheel flanges. The Fig. 1 construction difiers from that of Fig. 3 in that the shelf of Fig. l'is disposed out of contact with normal wheel flanges, whereas the shelf of Fig. 3 is elevated to be contacted by such flanges. Fig. 4

A shows the shelf in the elevated position, tapered downwardly and outwardly as at Hi to substantially fit inside the flange or throat thereof to effectively direct the lubricant to that part of the wheel flange which requires lubrication. In Fig. 5 a simple flat shelf of rubber is shown, which may be either out of contact with normal wheel flanges or elevated in the manner heretofore explained in connection with Fig. 3. In each 4 of the forms of the invention illustrated, the resilient shelf has associated therewith one or more fastening or retaining elements 20 for supporting it in proper relationship with the rail head as above explained. The elements 26 function as clamps for the resilient shelf. members, and may be removably mounted upon the rigid shelf supports ID if desired. Bolts or other fastening means 2| may be employed to secure the replaceable resilient shelves in position, as indicated in Fig. 1. Any suitable means such as a rim 22 on the rigid shelf support I0, may be provided to catch any drippings or overflow of lubricant from the resilient shelf.

As is evident from the disclosure of Fig. 1, the support It is provided with the necessary lubricant passage means 23 to afford communication between the several vertical ducts l2 and the branches 24 and 26 of the lubricant supply conduit 25 (Fig. 6). The conduits preferably are 'to the base of the rail. the jaws 45 and 47 which are tightened upon by means of bolts or screws 49.

of flexible hose material which absorbs the vibration caused by passing rolling stock.

As stated above, lubricant is adapted to be ejected to a location atop the shelf l1 by means of any suitable type of pump or, pressure means. One acceptacle form of pressure means is illusstrated, this being actuated by the vertical move ment of the rail which results from the passage of cars thereover. The pressure means may be constituted of a rotary type pump 21 of any approved type, the impelling member thereof being associated with a rotatable drive shaft 28.

Fixed to the drive shaft is a ratchet wheel 29 adapted to be rotated by means of the pair of pawls 3t and 3t, pawl 30 acting to rotate the ratchet wheel upon an upward movement of the actuating lever 32, whereas the pawl 3| effects a subsequent partial rotation of said wheel at each downward movement of the actuating lever. Each of the pawls is provided with a ratchet tooth 33 as shown in Fig. 2.

The tooth may yieldingly be maintained in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel by means of a spring 34 having its opposite ends anchored upon studs as indicated at 35 and 35. The pawls are pivotally mounted at 3? and 38 upon a cross arm 39 that is pivoted at 4!! upon the actuating lever 32 at one end thereof. The opposite end of the lever is pivoted upon a stationary bracket 4| as indicated at 42. Adjacent to the pivot 42 the lever is provided with an abutment or extension 43 upon which rests an adjusting screw 44 that is bodily movable with the rail by reason of the mounting of the screw upon a rail clamp 45 which is fixed, preferably, The rail clamp includes the rail base by means of a suitable fastener The jaw 41 supports the rigid shelf supporting member l0, which may be fixed in place A series of shims 50 may furnish a means of adjusting the member ID vertically relativeto the rail head.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that vertical movement of the rail and the clamp 45 will result in movement of the actuating lever 32 about its pivot 42, so that the pair of pawls will be reciprocated vertically for rotating the ratchet wheel in one direction. In order to maintain the pawls in proper engaging relationship with the ratchet wheel, a parallel lever arrangement may be provided, this being in the nature of a link 5| having its opposite ends pivoted upon the cross arm and the bracket M, as shown at 52 and 53, respectively. The pairs of pivots 4ll52 and 42--53 are spaced apart so that movement of the actuating member about its pivot 42 will result in substantially a true vertical movement of the pawls.

The actuating lever preferably is provided with one or more spring means 54 arranged to always maintain the actuating lever in an initial position at which the pawls are lowered relative to the ratchet wheel, and said spring means serves also to normally apply an elevating force upon the clamp 45 and the rail upon which the clamp is fixed. The means 54 may include one or more springs each of which has its lower end 55 resting upon a perforated lug or bracket 55 which is fixed relative to, or integral with, the actuating lever 32. A bolt 51, which has its lower end fixed relative to the base plate 58, extends through the perforate lug 56 and is surrounded by the spring 5t. A pair of nuts 88 and a washer 59 are applied to the threaded end 60 of the bolt, and

the spring tension may be adjusted thereby. The spring means is sufficiently forceful to elevate the rail slightly relative to the ties which support the rail, when no cars are moving or resting upon the rail. When a car moves over a rail, however, the rail moves downwardly and causes the screw 44 of clamp 45 toimpinge upon the extension 43 of the actuating lever, whereby to rotate the lever about its pivot 42 and elevate the pawls so as to effect a partial rotation of the ratchet wheel and the pump shaft to which it is fixed. A charge of lubricant thereby is forced from the reservoir 6!] through the delivery conduit 25, its branches 26 and 24, and upwardly through the ducts l2 which direct the lubricant onto the shelf members ll. The amount of lubricant thus ejected may be controlled by any suitable type of equalizer valve 6| which may be located at any desirable point in the conduit system.

The character 62 indicates a pump intake pipe or conduit which extends into the reservoir 60 and conveys lubricant to the pump 21. The pump may be equipped with a suitable by-pass 63, as is common practice, and the by-pass may include a pump discharge regulator valve 64. The drive shaft of the pump may pass through a packing gland 55 to preclude leakage around the shaft. It is not considered necessary to set forth the details of the pump, as such pumps are old and may be procured on the market. The pump is fixed to the base plate 58, in any suitable manner such as by means of bolts or screws 66. Clamps in addition to that indicated at 45 may be employed to maintain the members In in proper position along the rail, such clamps being illustrated conventionally by the characters 61 and 68. As indicated in Fig. 1, strips of felt or other suitable material 69 may be fixed between the members In and the web of the rail to preclude leakage of lubricant downwardly behind the members [0. The entire pump mechanism -is mounted upon a support plate 70 (Fig. 6),

which plate may be bolted or otherwise secured, as at to a pair of spaced ties l2 and 13.

The device of the present invention provides a noiseless and effective lubricating means for the flanges of car Wheels, and has the advantage that it cannot in any manner lift or laterally shift the car wheels so as to derail a train traveling at a high speed, or transmit any shock to the wheels so as to result in discomfort to the occupants of the train. Moreover, the resilient lubricant supporting shelf is found to resist wear for a long period of time, and when it requires 7 replacement, the change may be made with very little effort and expense. Varying climatic conditions cannot affect the proper operation of the device, and there are no parts used which can be struck and broken by the wheels of cars traveling at high speeds.

While a specific type of improved pump means has been described in connection with the lubricating apparatus, it will be readily understood that other types of pumping mechanism may be employed to eject lubricant onto the shelves I1 either intermittently or constantly.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the structural details of the device, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a lubricator of the class described, the combination of a' resilient shelf for supporting lubricating material alongside of a railway rail in position to be picked up by the flanges of car wheels passing over said rail, means for supporting the shelf along the rail to support the lubricating material in said position, and means for piling up a lubricant upon the upper face of said shelf to a height suflicient to reach the wheel flanges.

2. In a lubricator of the class described, the combination of a long strip of substantially nonporous rubber-like material and means for supporting said strip along the gauge side of a railway rail, said strip. being sufliciently soft as to yield when a wheel flange rolls over it, a lubricant supporting face on the strip, and means for feeding lubricant onto said supporting face in a piled up condition to be picked up by the wheel 3. In a lubricator of the class described, the combination of a longitudinal support member including a lubricant chamber to be supplied with lubricant under pressure, an upper portion on said member having lubricant duct means in fluid communication with the said chamber, means fixing said longitudinal support member along the gauge side of a railway rail in substantial parallelism therewith, and a deformable nonmetallic shelf supported by said support member in position to receive and to support a pile of the lubricant conveyed by the duct means in position to be picked up by the flanges of passing car wheels.

4. In a lubricator of the class described, the combination of a longitudinal support member including a lubricant chamber to be supplied with lubricant under pressure, an upper portion on said member having lubricant duct means in fluid communication with said chamber, means fixing said longitudinal support member along the gauge side of a railway rail in substantial parallelism therewith, a deformable non-metallic shelf supported by said support member in position to receive lubricant from the duct means and to support the lubricant in position to be picked up by the flanges of passing car wheels, and means including the deformable shelf for substantially sealing the lubricant duct means when no car wheels are on the rail above the lubricator.

5. In a lubricator of the class described,the combination of a longitudinal support member including a lubricant chamber to be supplied with lubricant under pressure, an upper portion on said member having lubricant duct means in fluid communication with the said chamber, means fixing said longitudinal support member along the gauge side of a railway rail in substantial parallelism therewith, a deformable nonmetallic shelf supported by said support member in position to receive lubricant from the duct means and to support the lubricant in position to be picked up by the flanges of passing car wheels, and means for pumping lubricant into position upon the shelf as the lubricant is carried away by the flanges of passing car wheels.

6. In a lubricator of the class described, the combination of a support member and means for fixing said member along a railwayrail, a flexible deformable lubricant-supporting shelf member associated with the support member and including an upper face of suiiicient solidity to substantially preclude the soaking of a lubricant therethrough, said shelf member being maintained in position alongside the head of the rail,

to support a pile of lubricant to be picked up by the flanges of car wheels passing over the rail, the shelf member being of a material such that the flanges of car wheels will readily sink into the material without any tendency to elevate 5 or laterally shift the wheels of the cars passing over the lubricator.

7. In a lubricator of the class described, the combination of a support member and means for fixing said member along a railway rail, a solidfaced deformable lubricant-supporting shelf member associated with the support member and maintained thereby in position alongside the head of the rail, to support a lubricant to be picked up by the flanges of car wheels passing 15 over the rail, the shelf member being of a material such that the flanges of car wheels will readily sink into the material without any tendency to elevate or laterally shift the wheels of the cars passing over the lubricator, and means 20 for piling up a lubricating substance onto the solid face of the shelf member.

8. In combination with a railway rail having a web, a head with a gauge side face, and an under face between the web and said side face, a 25 longitudinal supporting element having an upper portion provided with open-sided lubricant feeding ducts, a longitudinal strip of soft rubber-like material carried by the supporting element in position to provide walls for the open 0 sides of the ducts, and means for securing the supporting element adjacent to the web of the rail with the ducts substantially beneath the under face of the rail head and the longitudinal rubber-like strip substantially in contacting relationship with the gauge side face of the rail head, to normally substantially close the ducts.

9. In combination with a railwayrail having a web, a head with a gauge side face, and an under face between the web and said side face, a longi-' tudinal supporting element having an upper portion provided with open-sided lubricant feeding ducts, a longitudinal strip of soft rubber-like material carried by the supporting element in position to provide walls for the open sides of the ducts, and means for securing the supporting element adjacent to the web of the rail with the ducts substantially beneath the under face of the rail head and the longitudinal rubber-like strip substantially in contacting relationship with the gauge side face of the rail head, to normally substantially close the ducts, and a lubricant-supporting shelf face on the strip extending outwardly from the gauge side of the rail head.

10. A lubricator of the class described, comprising a longitudinal rubber-like strip including a face of suflicient solidity to substantially preclude permeation by a lubricating substance, and means for mounting the strip along the gauge 0 side of a rail head, to support a lubricant in the path of the flanges of car wheels passing over the rail.

11. A lubricator of the class described, comprising a longitudinal rubber-like strip includ- 5 ing a face of sufficient solidity to substantially preclude permeation by a lubricant, means for mounting the strip along the gauge side of a rail head, to support a pile of such lubricant in the path of the flanges of car wheels passing over 7 the rail, and means for automatically supplying such lubricant to said face of the strip.

WALLACE M. GRAY. 

